Penn State Wilkes-Barre Chancellor Charles Davis to retire

LEHMAN, Pa. — Penn State Wilkes-Barre Chancellor Charles H. Davis is set to retire after more than a decade of serving the University.

Davis was appointed as chancellor of the Wilkes-Barre campus in March 2006. Prior to becoming chancellor, he spent 13 years as dean of the School of Business and Economics at Fayetteville State University in North Carolina, and he has held faculty positions at Wichita State University, The Citadel, University of Missouri Kansas City, as well as an endowed chair in entrepreneurship at the University of Northern Iowa.

Davis’ other outreach and administrative posts have included director of the Small Business Institute and director of the Small Business Development Center at Wichita State University, as well as serving as the state director of the Kansas Small Business Development Centers.

While at the Wilkes-Barre campus, Davis focused his efforts on campus growth in terms of programs, students and community outreach. As part of his tenure with Penn State, Davis worked closely with the Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Commerce to create a partnership between the University and the newly opened T.H.I.N.K Center for young and budding entrepreneurs.

An active Rotarian in Wilkes-Barre, Davis has served on several community boards, including Leadership Wilkes-Barre, the Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Commerce, and the F.M. Kirby Center.

Davis has stayed on at the campus through the transition of administrative functions to new Chancellor and Chief Academic Officer Vernon Dale Jones, who will join Penn State Wilkes-Barre on Jan. 16.